#I think Gregory finds Michael cool

[chloesimaginationthings]

What is the relationship between Michael and Gregory like?

I’d say like dysfunctional brothers

[connectionterminated13]

I think if Gregory and Michael ever met. Gregory would at first think michael's cool because arsen and killing immortal serial killer for like a year. But then find out that he's a lonely chain-smoking zombie who can't look at a cell phone without having a panic attack.

Turns out arson doesn't make you cool 😔

[tw33k-tucker]

Doodle requests are open‼️

The series characters I can draw the best(In order) are:

South Park, Eddsworld, Creepypasta, n' SMG4

Just a some things about me(changes/updates so much)

Fictionkin of:

Tweek Tweak

Craig Tucker

Kyle Broflovski

Kenny McCormick

Stan Marsh (South Park)

Mickey (Bobs Burgers)

Carl Grimes

Daryl Dixon (TWD) (I'm 99% sure I am a Fictionkin of him👍)

Gregory House (House M.D.)

Lucifer

Vox

Husk

Angel Dust (Hazbin hotel)

Sniper

Medic {Pls, istg I'm not insane anymore, I swear😭} (TF2)

Tord (Eddsworld)

Shadow ( Sonic, but not sure which specific Sonic yet)

Questioning 2

+ I have also found out I am a fictionflicker, so if there's some kins I have that aren't on the list above that's why👍 I do have a few recurring fictionflickers though, Such as:

Hunter (TOH)

Michael Afton (FNAF)

Crying Child/BV/Evan Afton (FNAF 4)

Tom (Eddsworld)

Adam (Hazbin Hotel)

SMG3 + Mr Puzzles (SMG4)

Ticci Toby

BEN Drowned + Jeff The Killer (Creepypasta)

Scout/Jeremy(TF2)

Louise (Bobs Burgers)

Therian but not completely comfortable to reveal some of my Theriotypes, but the ones I'm fine with revealing are a Border Collie, Island Fox, Clouded leopard, Red Panda, Some kind of Shark, Bi Color german shepherd, and an Opossum.

Current Shifts/Kinfeels:

Tweek Tweak

Craig Tucker

Scout/Jeremy

Ticci Toby

He/Him (Trans FTM/Masc)

Minor !! (I'm changing it to minor cause I only want the people close to me/my mutuals to know my age, sorry if its weird or smthn!!!)

Christan (but excepts any religion)

Favorite Animal is Guinea pigs

2nd favorite drink is coffee (My #1 favorite drink is water cause I need it to survive)

Top 5 Favorite songs:

1st: Runs in the family - Amanda Palmer

2nd: Life - Mother Mother

3rd: Animals - STOMACH BOOK

4th: Bad Habit - Steve Lacy

5th: Cupid's Chokehold / Breakfast In America - Gym Class Heros

(it was top 10 before, but I'm to lazy for that crap)

A few last random shit facts 'bout me + some random things

I am very scared of alarms(Like, fire alarms)

I have Trypophobia aka fear of holes(it's very bad)

I have a love hate relationship with insects

I'm AroAce but I still want a romantic relationship and Bi

Wolverine is my all-time favorite hero(I don't care that he's technically an anti-hero/also an X-Men, he's the best)

Black and Red are my favorite colors

HTTYD is my favorite movie series

I love Scooby Doo(Especially Mystery Incorporated)

I am a mix of Introverted and Extroverted

I swear I wanna cry when stuff I've been waiting for is altered(Don't ask, I have no idea why)

I have anxiety

I freak out VERY easily

Salamanders are so cool istg

I have sensitive ears so I hate loud noises(I think I'm just a wimp)

I was in a car crash when I was 8(Luckily me and my dad were fine)

I like Diary of a wimpy kid

I have an older brother that I fight with(Imagine Rodrick and Greg's rivalry)

Some noises also make me want to bawl my eyes out(Also don't ask why, I seriously don't know)

I will 'kill' you if you look in my sketchbook(I swear you do not wanna see it, like really, you do NOT)

I have social anxiety👍

I'm seriously fucked up in the brain

I have asthma

I have OCD and BPD

And also i've decided to make tags because it is so annoying trying to find certain posts. So: the art tag is #Tw33k Draws the ask tag is #Tw33ks asks and I also use #Tw33k Rambles when I'm just talking and then as well theres just the #Shitpost tag on the posts I post that have words or images that isn't art, I also #Tw33k Rants, I think that name is pretty self explanatory, I also don't add tags to like any of the stuff I reblog unless I'm talking in the tags

I'm horrible at spelling

And yeah, that's all I'm willing to tell

Also please don't hate me, I can't control who I am

Thanks for reading

Random Icons :D

Okay! One last thing, sense I have started the Zombie Park series, you can ask them questions about litterly ANYTHING some stuff they might not be allowed to answer at the moment like some stuff that'll happen in the future, but if you have any questions about the AU feel free to ask

[percyaugod]

Scrambled Eggs AU: I just wanted to mess with Evan.

Gregory is scared at first, but in true Gregory fashion, tries confronting whatever it is. He's not letting them just intimidate him like that!

Then he finds what looks like a zombie. Yeah, this is too much even for him.

He tries to turn and run but the zombie trips over its own feet and gives a static-filled whine as it falls to the ground trying to run after him. …It's kind of pathetic and now he kind of feels bad for it.

Gregory gets closer, still keeping a bit of distance, and it calms down. If he dies doing this his dad is going to kill him.

Gregory getting closer and closer and eventually poking it in the face before leaning back. It didn't jump at him, so doesn't seem to want to eat him.

In that case, it's kind of cool. Gross, but cool. So as any kid that finds something he knows his parent won't approve of, he tries to sneak it into the house.

Poor Evan hears Gregory and movement in the house when he knows he dropped the kid off at school.

If Evan at some point found out about what his father was doing, once he found out about Gregory's "friend" he would probably think they were another of his father's victims. How else could they still be "alive" in such a sorry state?

Evan hasn't seen anything like this before. Evan tries to look up missing persons to try to find out who it is and to see if he can pinpoint when his father experimented on them. It's kind of hard with the condition of their body, but no one even looked around the right height.

Didn't anyone notice him missing? Was no one looking for him? No friends or family? Poor guy.

The man continues to mimic people's voices and phrases. Getting more natural with his voice box over time.

Evan freezes the day he hears Michael's voice. It sounds like his brothers, similar to when he last heard him, but older. Which makes sense since that was years ago, they were still kids.

When did the zombie hear Michael's voice? Why? Did- Did Michael do this? Did this not look like his father's work because it wasn't? Was Michael following in their father's footsteps and doing his own experiments?

Oh god. What were they going to do? Trying to stop their father was bad enough, but now they had to worry about their brother too? What was wrong with this family?

Michael still has trouble understanding what people are saying but keeps hearing his name and reacting to it. The reactions just confirm Evan's suspicions.

Elizabeth doesn't think it means anything. They do the same thing whenever someone says "eggs."

[ricky-tiki-tah]

Glamrock Freddy Through The Ball Pit Part 1

(These aren’t particularly chapters, but each post is numbered and tagged ‘#gfttbp au fic’ so it’s easier to get to them)

“Disassemble Freddy!” Vanny screeched, her wide crazed red eyes zeroing in on the bear.

“Gregory, run!” Freddy called out, giving the boy a soft push in the direction he needed to go before taking off towards the many employee hallways to lose the staff bots. “I’ll distract them!”

Gregory gave a determined nod and continued on his way.

Freddy ran as fast as he was able, finding a nearly empty storage room to barricade himself in, tumbling staff bots as he went.

That was a mistake.

It appeared that the staff bots weren’t working alone. The spare endoskeletons had joined in the hunt and started to bang on the door Freddy had hurriedly closed. He looked around in case there was anything helpful in the room.

There, a crowbar! After a moment’s contemplation, Freddy jumped away from the door, racing towards the opposite side of the room, past the abandoned ball pit that seemed to be the only other thing in the room.

He didn’t make it. The staff bots swarmed him and the much stronger endos started tearing into his outer shell.

The bots ripped him apart, pieces flying everywhere. Freddy had barely enough time to hope Gregory would make it out of the pizzaplex safely before one of the bots tore out something he needed to function, and everything went black.

It was the housing for Freddy’s AI coding. The ending that had ripped it out, tossing the bits of metal and wires aside to continue wreaking havoc on the animatronic bear.

No one noticed that the small bit of Freddy that made him who he was landed in the ball pit.

(>*v*<)

Michael was playing hide and seek. Or more accurately, he was hiding in the Fazbear Diner’s ball pit, laying in wait for his little brother, planning to jump out and scare the nearly seven year old.

“Ouch!” Something poked his leg, and Michael put a hand down to feel around for whatever the thing was. It wasn’t safe to leave pokey things where little kids played.

After waving through the colorful plastic balls for a long moment, Mike’s hand closed around something small and slightly rubbery. Confused he surfaced and pulled the thing up to look at it.

The small object appeared to be some sort of charm, missing its chain. It was a light blue, rubbery plastic, lightning bolt. It looked cool.

Michael completely forgot his previous mission of scaring Evan and instead went searching for something to string through the small circle at the top of the pendant. He planned to wear it, declaring in his mind that it was something a cool rockstar would wear.

It wasn’t long before he found a bit of balloon ribbon and had strung the pendant around his neck. He planned to switch the ribbon out for a bit of twine when he went home later that evening.

Speaking of going home…

“Mikey, let’s go! Daddy says we’re leaving!” Elizabeth called out, running past him to join their father and little brother at the entrance.

“Comin’!”

(>*v*<)

Freddy didn’t think he would wake up. Not that the animatronics really slept, but they did rest occasionally. This felt different. Like he was under water or behind a curtain. He couldn’t quite see anything clearly yet, but he heared one voice very clearly.

“Now I look like a superstar!”

He wondered where the voice came from. It sounded excited, and Freddy realized he was excited for the voice as well, despite not knowing who it belonged to. Everyone deserved to be a superstar.

Freddy blinked and everything got a tiny bit clearer. Just enough that he could make out vague shapes around him, but not enough to understand where he was.

“Wait until I show my friends!” The voice squealed and Freddy smiled softly before everything fell dark again.

(>*v*<)

Over time, though Freddy was unsure how much time, he was able to see much clearer, and what he saw greatly shocked and confused the poor bear.

He wasn’t in any sort of machine, be it endoskeleton or computer. He actually appeared to be riding along in a young boy’s head.

He couldn’t do much about this fact, unable to actually move on his own or even speak aloud. He did learn however, over the course of a day or so after the world finally cleared up, that the boy seemed to be able to hear him, at least a small amount. Pausing as if considering Freddy’s commentary at some points.

Freddy learned that the boy’s name was Michael and that he was thirteen years old. He has shaggy brown hair, grey-blue eyes, and a bright smile that lights up his brown, freckle covered face. Michael also has two younger siblings, Elizabeth and Evan. They live with their father, and visit a diner that he owns nearly every day.

Freddy also learns that Michael has three friends. The strange part, he thinks, is that each of them have a mask depicting much older versions of his friends, and even himself.

It’s with these three friends that Freddy finds himself most vocal, quietly scolding when the four boys pick on younger children at school or even Michael’s own brother. He doesn’t know why they do so, but he intends to make Michael aware that it is unkind.

(>*v*<)

Mike is fairly certain he’s going insane.

He keeps hearing a voice at the back of his mind, asking random questions, noting something he might have missed in schoolwork, and even scolding him for his actions. He wonders if his conscience woke up and gained a voice.

It’s very strange, he thinks, to have a proud voice say ‘well done, Superstar!’ after he’s completed a task, but he smiles at the praise nonetheless.

Lizzie keeps looking at him strangely when he suddenly starts grinning like a loon after washing the dishes. He’s not sure how to explain that the voice in his head is proud of him for doing something so simple as his chores without looking like a nutcase so he stays quiet. It’s not like she needs to know anyway.

Instead, Mike plots his surprise for Evan’s birthday at the end of the week.

[thekatebridgerton]

I've been listening to ' All my exes moms' by Brooke Alexx on repeat.

it just got me thinking about how the entire song could just be the Bridgerton partners talking about Violet.

Like imagine that Simon, Kate, Penelope, Sophie, Phillip, Michael, Gareth and Lucy used to date the Bridgertons but for some reason or another broke up with them. That doesn't mean that they broke up with Violet!. Who is the kindest nicest mom ever.

And the Bridgertons finding it supremely awkward that their exes just refuse to cut contact with their mom.

Kate be like ' I broke up with you, not with your family, I can take your mother out for dinner if I want and my mom agrees' Anthony has no refutal for that because he was the one who pushed her away untill they broke up since he was too close to falling inlove. And whenever Kate feels too lonely, she just calls up Violet and just tells her all about her life, and the things she feels she can't tell Mary. Because Violet is a 'cool mom' and she gets Kate

Phillip, Sophie and Penelope would so rather spend Mother's day with Violet, and frequently overdo it with the mothers day gifts. Because Violet is the only mother figure who's ever made them feel warm and accepted. To the point where Violet tells Eloise, Benedict and Colin to keep their mothers day visits short because her favorite adopted kids are taking her on a cruise for mother's day and really she doesn't want to make those sweet children uncomfortable.

Simon often hangs out with Violet whenever she's visiting lady Danbury and Simon low key brag about how he's doing in the recent performance reviews at work and his recent wins at the boxing ring, Violet thinks its cute and she's the good cop to Lady Danbury's bad cop. Because Anthony is just as workaholic as Simon, her darling ex son in law really needs a break, 'dear Simon have you heard about Yoga. Or maybe Kapoeira is more your thing. Much more relaxing than boxing'

Gareth and Lucy like to bring Violet their report cards and University awards because at least she gets excited when they get good grades. They usually join Violet Saturday mornings for brunch to tell her all about how much their families drive them crazy and how hard Lucy is working to get a scholarships to some Ivy league school, far away from her uncle. While Gareth moans about how Uni is actually the worst because of how hard his teachers are. Violet understands them, because she had to scrape by in school too, mom Violet will help with homework!

Meanwhile there's Violet actual children who have to listen to her talk about how sweet their exes are and really she doesn't understand why the breakup happened before those darling children are angels. Because it's obvious that Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Hyacinth and Gregory are still pinning after the one that got away

-

'Mom may I remind you she broke up with me, not the other way around'

'telling a girl you're incapable of loving her will get you that reaction Anthony, really I raised you better than that, Kate is an absolute Gem'

-

'We just wanted different things in life mom'

' Sure you did, darling Sophie wanted stability and you just wanted to keep everything ambiguous, Benedict if only you had just....'

-

'He just doesn't want to start a family'

'Did you think to ask why? Daphne, this is Simon we're talking about, his definition of family might not be the same as yours, why if you knew....'

-

'I'm the victim here mom! Penelope is the one who picked her career over me'

'Well to be fair, her career isn't going to wake up and hightail to Tahiti the moment she asks for a wedding ring Colin, that sweet girl, I can't believe you broke up over that '

-

' We just weren't right for each other, everything happened too soon and he didn't even tell me he loved me'

'You ran scared because he was too good to you and you were afraid that the other shoe would drop. Poor Phillip, he's still wondering what he did wrong '

-

'Well Michael did hightail to India to avoid me'

'He was obviously avoiding his feelings, you didn't need to be so harsh on him Fran'

-

' he's the one who broke up with me for being too much of a trust fund kid, ugh, I can't help it if my family is rich'

' Gareth is a mature person Hyacinth, the boy just thought you didn't take his money problems seriously!'

-

'Haselby is gay mom, Lucy seriously would rather go to prom with a gay guy than date me'

'Gregory for the last time, stop mopping, she isn't dating Ricky Haselby to spite you, she's just helping a friend save face Infront of his father, you were the one who blew things out of proportion'

-

And for the Bridgertons it just feels like Violet is taking their exes side. But really she's just trying to convince them to get back together, because she knows they all still love each other.

[thesquirrelqueer]

& Juliet NA Tour 9/28/24 Notes

- like last time, actor names are for acting choices, character names are for track stuff

- richard does the hairspray during IML

- nick booping mateus’s nose during KAG

- first time experiencing the stalling knock knock joke

- rachel saying “any…one but my friend” (we now know it’s a conscious decision for her to say anyone instead of anything)

- nick’s “no” in response to “they were all romeo’s exes!” was them not-so-subtly feigning surprise

- teal shoos michael away during IML and he does a gay little wave back because he thinks she’s waving at him

- mateus downs whole bottle before their confident verse

- frankie sneaks behind bar during the set transition

- on “I kissed a boy” nick put their hand to their mouth like they were yelling it to the heavens it was so cute

- kathryn giggling while dancing with nick like she wasn’t being forced to do it she was having fun

- “feel how sweaty I am” was teal grabbing corey’s hand and wiping it across her chest and then he pulled away and shook out his hand to get the sweat off of it

- teal saying “oh what can we do… *gasp* oh wait! I know!” instead of “if only there was a way oh wait there is”

- mickey and minnie kiss for the first KAG kiss

- the exes stay laying on coffin through the whole time the capulets are talking

- player wedding couples: judith/richard eleanor/lucy gregory/augustine dion/henry

- SUBG couples: henry/nell lucy/benvolio richard/judith dion/augustine

- OMT couples: richard/lucy eleanor/henry

- different placements for the CFMF beginning formation, in the front it’s stage left augustine stage right richard, behind richard is gregory, behind augustine is sly and henry is in the back center

- nick had a very angry and hurt “what happened to no regrets?!”

- michael doing a little shimmy as he walks across the stage before everybody

- nella’s benvolio has a new york italian-american accent

- dion is lifted into the air instead of eleanor during the blow chandelier moment

- corey’s soliloquy nose boop was a fart noise

- mateus giving thumbs up with both hands while kissing rachel

- nick touching mateus’ cheek after he returns to them at the beginning of SOMH

- nick sprinting across the stage to mateus on “just don’t give up”

- michael did the backpack motion in IML too early and then had to redo it again for when judith actually gave him the backpack

- lucy starts out with the care bear in OMT and gives it to richard while they’re on the bench and then he takes the tickets and walks around with the bear

- in the bit right after oops, teal enters out of breath chasing corey while he’s holding the quill above his head away from her

- teal’s TTWII ending gave me chills

- I did it my way was mateus standing very awkwardly with their hand like 🤟 next to their face

- as part of the pinky swear nick and rachel kissed their hands as they did it

- sly is where kempe is during the SUBG part where 3 of the romeo crew are with juliet

- the way michael sings the high note in problem is literally a mix of how ben and dan do it

- michael putting a black piece of cloth, possibly a shirt, into his backpack before the LMLYD reprise

- anne and shakespeare stay onstage a tiny bit longer after “and thus she finds her voice”

- corey says “juliet was based on a real historical figure” instead of “juliet is based on a real historical figure”

- mateus saying the last part of “do I still... play the virginal” through gritted teeth

- mateus missed the “hey” of “hey, slow it down”

- I always viewed the romeo fan club as all 3 of them having dated romeo but the tour fan club really felt like judith was the one who dated romeo and gregory and dion were just her besties

- paul-jordan looked like he was having a crisis of self after “we’re not doing accents?!”

- kathryn dropped the “last night” part of “looking back is what brought me to your bed last night”

- the stage doesn’t rise on the second KAG kiss but there is a really cool ripple effect on the projection in the back

- teal says “beginning to chafe” instead of “starting to chafe”

- michael!romeo’s level of stupidity is like the prince from enchanted. like if you took a fictional character out of their story and they only had with them the knowledge from stuff in that story, that would be michael!romeo. he’s constantly realizing and discovering things while also being in a perpetual state of confusion (and I love it so much)

- kathryn!angelique is very much a “teenage dream angelique”. like they’re a parental figure to juliet while still feeling like a bestie to her/young at heart

- really cool shredding on the violin at one point during the problem breakdown

[poindexters-labratory]

It's now been a few days since SB Ruin released, and I've calmed down some and actually started noticing things and using my head.

So, here's an update.

(spoilers ahead)

Cassie throughout the game acts as a foil to Gregory from the base game, which makes her character really fascinating. By a foil, I mean she really loves these animatronics (except for Monty and the Music Men Army). She tries her best to fix and help the animatronics she's attached to, like Sun/Moon/Eclipse, Chica, and Roxanne. This is in direct opposition to Gregory destroying them. And the foil really shows during the elevator ending.

Speaking of the elevator ending, I'm unsure if that was directly Gregory's doing or someone acting as Gregory. The vocal clipping and editing that is demonstrated in the game shows that it's entirely possible that someone acted as Gregory once again and cut the elevator lines. But we didn't hear Gregory call to Cassie through the walkie-talkie after the credits though, we heard Roxanne.

In the game files, the 'monster in the basement' is apparently called the Grimic (supposedly a mash of Gregory-Mimic, just like how Vanny is a mash of Vanessa and Bunny.) And now that I know the actual purpose of the Mimic, its addition makes sense to the story. But the thing that I'm worried about is that Fazbear Entertainment is trying to get to it. Fazbear Entertainment created the AR system for navigating the ruined Pizza Plex, Helpi, and these Faz-Wrench systems. The AR system is specially designed to find these security nodes that are keeping the Mimic locked up from being found.

These systems were quite possibly made by Vanessa, Gregory, Freddy (??), and I think Malhare was involved as well, kind of to enforce security (unless Malhare is Vanessa's own design and Glitchtrap was eradicated at the Princess Quest ending of Security Breach. But this 'extra security protocol' can set up its own connection ports??). Whatever the Mimic's potential/power level/design/purpose is, Gregory and Vanessa do not want to let it out. At any cost.

And there could be the possibility of a hivemind (although I'm not sure since it was information that I skimmed through) and I don't know if that means multiple Mimics or that the Mimic can take control of other android technology. (If anyone has that information, I would love to have it!)

Then comes the question of who would want to have the Mimic? Fazbear Entertainment corporate executives most likely, but that thing has been down there for ages. Who knows that it's down there?

(headcanon tangent time)

My favorite headcanon is that it's Henry because if he was in the deepest part of the basement, he could've easily escaped through the tunnels and blocked off the hole to prevent anyone else from leaving. Going up the elevator, waiting for the fire to calm down to collect the machinery he specifically made sure Michael didn't destroy during testing, despite knowing that the fire would happen, to give to the people making the VR game.

Including the bits of machinery in Scraptrap that would lead to the creation of Glitchtrap.

I like to think of him as a bit of greedy business man. And it would make the FNAF story really interesting (for me at least) if Henry is kind of the ultimate bad guy of the whole story, not because he's bad but I love morally gray characters and I think they have really good uses for telling complex stories.

There could be multiple different answers that belong to separate people, and that's respectable! But this answer is my personal favorite.

(end of headcanon tangent time)

I did enjoy Ruin though, especially for the sake of now the characters are a lot more plot relevant to the story, and the more sci-fi FNAF gets, the more I wonder about the potential for perhaps a time travel based game, I think that would be kind of cool because I really enjoy those AUs. Not to mention a backstory is the thing I really want from this franchise.

If now with the power of AR technology, a person can walk through objects and teleport, the next step is obviously time travel (I'm half joking, but seriously, you can walk through objects in this game and teleport, that's a little nuts if I think about it).

[hearts401]

I JUST FINISHED ALL THE CHAPTERS OUT SO FAR IN GBWWWG AND. OH MY GOD. YOU ARE SO GOOD AT WRITING MICHAEL LIKE HES AN ASSHOLE AND I WANT TO PUNCH HIM BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WANT TO GIVE HIM A HUG

AND EVAN AND GREGORY!! THEY ARE SO CUTIE PATOOTIE! THOSE LITTLE SCENES WHEN THEYRE BONDING MAKE ME SO HAPPY I NEED A FRIEND LIKE GREGORY IN MY LIFE NEOOWWWW

ALSOALSO IM NOT DONE. THE WAY YOU WRITE CHARLIE. I LOVVEEEEEE YOUR CHARLIE I AM PATTING HER ON THE HEAD SHES SO COOL I LOVE HER SM

AND HENRY TOO?!?! HE LITERALLY HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH THE AFTON KIDDOS. HIM BEING TOLD OFF BY MICHAEL IS LOWKEY FUNNY TO ME. MICHAEL BASCIALLY TELLING HIM TO FUCK OFF AND THEN HES LIKE 🧍‍♂️ HENRY SWEETHEART YOU ARE THE ADULT NOT HIM AGSBDHSJNSDHDH BUT HES TRYING HIS BEST 😭😭😭😭

IM ALMOST DONE PROMMY BUT WILLIAM?!? THE WAY YOU WROTE THAT SHORT SCENE FROM HIS POV WAS SO GOOD?? LIKE IT WAS SHORT BUT HE ACTED SO.. WILLIAM. I AM SO JEALOUS OF YOU/POS I CANNOT WRITE WILLIAM FOR THE LIFE OF ME.

AND THAT SHORT SCENE FROM ELIZABETHS POV WHERE SHES THINKING AND WONDERING WHY HENRY CARES SO MUCH…. THAT HURT ME OH LIZZIEEEEE YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER

okay im done screaming now but i love that fic sm 🥰🥰

BLOWS UP IM SO HAPPY UOU LIKE IT THAT FIC IS MY BABY WAUGHDHSHSGAGYA IM SO HAPPYBU LIKE MY MICHAEL BC I CAN NEVER FIND BAD BROTHER MIKE FICS RHAT R ABOUT MIKE AND AUWUHSHSAHHA

FLASHLIGHT DUOOOO THEY MAKE ME HAPPY EVAN DESERVES FREGORY GUUUUH

AND CHARLIE!!! SHES SUPER FUN TO WRITE I NEED A CHAPTER FOCUSED ON HER EVENTUALLY

HENRY IS FUN BC HIS KIDS ARE SO MUCH MORE MATURE YK? WAIGHDHSHSJOSIEHRD EXPLODES

ALSO WILL AND LIZ GIVE ME THE MOST TROUBLE IM GLAD U LIKED EM OMGJEHDUSUSHSHEEHEU

This made my day actually HDHSHDHSAH IM SO HAPPY YOU LIKE IT!!!!

[rystonlentil]

2023 Podfic Roundup!

(2022 here; 2021 here)

Ghost Town, by DustDragon39 The Magnus Archives original characters teen and up 18m 42s

I came home one day and it wasn’t home anymore. During a particularly bad storm, two archival assistants from the San Francisco Institute for the Unusual and Paranormal pick up a hitchhiker.

the less-than-careful years, by tigrrmilk Disco Elysium Kim Kitsuragi, Kim Kitsuragi’s parents teen and up 22m 5s

For his seventeenth birthday, Kim bought the first jacket as a gift to himself. It was the real thing — twenty years old, with a slash at the neck, and a stain inside that could have been blood, or mud, or even oil. “Did somebody die in that thing?” his aunt asked. A life, and memories of other lives. Hidden inside objects and matter and waves.

Reboot, by TheQuietWings Five Nights at Freddy’s Glamrock Freddy & Gregory, Michael Afton & The Crying Child general 15m 54s

Are you sure it is necessary to boot in [Safe Mode]? Y/N

Icicles (don’t soften when they die), by Taliax Deltarune Noelle Holiday/Susie teen and up 8m 47s

Sweat beaded on Susie's forehead as she brought the tip of her axe to Noelle’s finger. The ring dug in its thorns. Noelle and Susie's unseen conversation in the Weird Route.

Rot, by dearfriendicanfly Disco Elysium Kim Kitsuragi mature 15m 4s

INLAND EMPIRE — They opened him up and found nothing but the rot that ate up everything he was. And then they left the empty shell of him behind. VOLTA DO MAR [Challenging: Success] — Don’t think about that. Think of music shaking your ribcage. Think of a steering wheel under your palms. HALF LIGHT — Your red, red palms. Night one. Kim Kitsuragi has a nightmare.

Kitsuragi shuffle, by laughingpineapple Disco Elysium Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi general 30m 8s

A Saturday in Jamrock. See the sights. Blend in with the locals. Just a pleasant day out ahead of the transfer, with no hidden hopes, none whatsoever. Kim Kitsuragi doesn’t do hope.

let’s spend the future talking about the past, by godsontheradio Disco Elysium Klaasje Amandou/Ruby mature 11m 4s

Ruby helps an on-the-run Klaasje dye her hair. What happens next is frustrating and inconclusive.

La Muerte Pálida (The Pale Death), by Lepak Disco Elysium Paledriver, background Klaasje/Ruby teen and up 14m 52s

The world hides you in her fog skirts. You row until you can no longer see land, til even its shadow has been swallowed and you’re drifting alone, the last person left alive in Elysium. Or perhaps the first ever made, floating in a wooden womb, amniotic fluid dewing on your thin coat. The Paledriver reminisces.

Even Disco, Baby (12 one-shots), by dearfriendicanfly Disco Elysium Harry & Smoker on the Balcony, Harry/Kim Kitsuragi, Harry & Judit Minot, Cindy the Skull & Harry, Annette & Harry, Harry & Dora Ingerlund, Harry & Tommy Le Homme, Harry & La Revacholière teen and up 2hr 8m 15s in total

A collection of dialogue excerpts that needed a home. Originally posted to even-disco-baby on tumblr, archived here.

He’s A Goldmine, Baby, by Red Disco Elysium Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi explicit 41m 19s

Ok, so getting pissed on wasn't always a kink of yours. Now, however, it has definitely become a thing. Problem is, you don't know your mega-cool boyfriend will be down for it. No need to ruin a good thing. Best keep this to yourself, champ. On sex paperwork, ordinary life, love... and, well. Piss, of course.

Poems for my head’s country, by laughingpineapple Disco Elysium Harry Du Bois & Skills teen and up 6m 50s

Far away, the pale – le territoire, the great adversary, the western plain – roars into nothingness. Here and now, Harry finds a book in his apartment, a trace of his old life. Here and now, Harry finds a book in his apartment, a trace of his old life. Here and now, Harry finds a book-

Blood Like Wine, by Aria The Mechanisms Jonny d’Ville/Gunpowder Tim explicit 16m 35s

When Jonny said it, he didn't even really mean anything by it. He was running his mouth, paying more attention to the way it made Tim thrash under him than the words he was saying. Jonny leant forward, digging his fingernails into Tim's shoulder blades, and said, low and vicious, "I want to eat your heart."

Splat, by nevermindgrantaire Disco Elysium Cindy the Skull & Cunoesse teen and up 25m 43s

There’s a face, though, peering over the fence with eyes like scuttling black beetles. Topped with a matted thatch of red hair and a green knitted beanie hat. Red eyes and red nose, lines under the eyes that just don’t look right on a kid so young. It’s that girl- Cindy doesn’t know her name. The skinny little thing, all hunched and defensive, hackles raised. She clings to her friend like he’s a shield and normally she’s screaming slurs at anything that moves. It’s unnerving, seeing her quiet like this. Cindy casts an eye around the yard, towards the shed, looking for the girl’s persistent shadow. Cuno joins the RCM. Cunoesse gets left behind. Cindy wants to help.

A wreath of reeds, by laughingpineapple Disco Elysium Steban the Student Communist & Insulindian Phasmid teen and up 9m 27s

Steban, touch grass. Grass, touch Steban.

trial run, by Red Disco Elysium Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi explicit 34m 59s

Your mouth keeps moving. "You're so desperate, Kim. Trying to ride my fucked-up dick..." Kim coughs, and shoots you a look. "I thought my opinion on your dick was clear by now."

Possession, by Red Disco Elysium Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi explicit 14m 19s

"Disgusting," Kim breathes, smearing his thumb through his spit, rubbing it into your skin. Mine, that touch says. You close your eyes, dizzy, faint from his love.

A beast in the fog, by laughingpineapple Disco Elysium Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi teen and up 13m 23s

The lieutenant knows how to fend off the loneliness of the empty road. But the air is empty, too, and the coast is gone.

Delirium, by randomisedmongoose Disco Elysium Harry Du Bois mature 4m 50s

After the tribunal. Harry dreams.

Poem 53, by dearfriendicanfly Disco Elysium Harry Du Bois & Harry Du Bois general 5m 57s

From the collection “Poems For My Head’s Country.” Annotations by Harry Du Bois. (For/Inspired by laughingpineapple)

flight paths of migratory birds, by Ptolemia Disco Elysium Klaasje Amandou/Ruby mature 29m 45s

Ruby and Klaasje do take that road trip, after all.

The Orchard, by liesmyth Good Omens Aziraphale/Crowley mature 19m 22s

Crowley eats an apple, tempts an angel, and gets more than he bargained for.

Something Bigger Than The Sky (3/6 chapters), by Taliax Deltarune Spamton/Swatch teen and up 1hr 13m 46s

Swatch's purpose is to serve the Queen. Spamton's purpose is to make deals. By nature, any other passions between them are disposable. (Betrayal still hurts.)

do you have to call it a relationship?, by yewlojee The Murderbot Diaries Murderbot & Dr. Ratthi general 13m 51s

Ratthi stops at the closed door, and sends a message. I would like to talk about relationships. There is a pronounced pause. Is this some kind of reverse psychology shit where you are trying to get me to not talk to you actually?

an experiment in trust, by MercurialFeet The Murderbot Diaries ART & Three teen and up 22m 53s

Three decides it wants to try something. The Perihelion has a slightly more than scientific interest in the results.

[angelofrainfrogs]

Spend the Night: Ch. 16

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: The familiar melody of Grandfather’s Clock chimes through the echoing halls of the Pizzaplex…

Charlie wakes up in her Puppet’s vessel yet again with one goal in mind: to stop William Afton’s reign of terror for good. She enlists the help of Glamrock Freddy, the emphatic leader of the newest iteration of the Fazbear Band. But there seems to be more to this bear than meets the eye—and the same goes for the mysteriously familiar kid the duo find tinkering with animatronics down in Parts & Service.

With some help from friends new and old, Charlie’s journey into the bowels of the Pizzaplex will unravel mysteries none of them ever expected. 

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

I’m gonna bleed, I’m gonna stay

I’ll never leave ‘til night becomes day

Whatever happened to the others that came?

~Total Insecurity by Rockit Music~

Today was the day that Gregory learned he had zero impulse control when left with pizza and soda. Charlie had to stop him from sucking down the last can of pop and encourage him to drink at least one bottle of water instead. Half the pizza was gone in two hours, leaving Gregory in quite the state. He laid against the cool floor, on his back and holding his stomach. Charlie, feeling bad for the kid, would periodically rake her fingers soothingly through his hair.

“I told you. I said this exact thing was going to happen if you did it,” she remarked grimly.

“Thank you, captain foresight.” Gregory groaned. He was starting to think he was lactose intolerant after the umpteenth time this same scenario has happened to him. Yet Charlie would disagree, saying it's the volume and speed at which he decided to eat.

“Michael—we're going to have to put the kid out of his misery,” Charlie teased, holding out one of her hands as Gregory laughed and rolled from her lap to get away. “Hand me a pillow, I'll make it quick—”

“She’s right, Gregory—we can’t stand to see you suffer like this,” Michael said with a dramatic sigh as he picked up a bowtie-shaped throw pillow. Then without warning he threw this at Charlie, not hard enough to cause damage but with enough force to knock the Puppet backwards with a surprised yelp.

What ensued next was the quietest “pillow” fight known to man, wherein the animatronics tossed any soft, stuffed object they could find at each other in an attempt to push someone off-balance. Gregory joined in once he’d recovered enough, and despite their excitement the group did their best to keep the volume down to crazed whispers. Only the occasional, muffled shriek got through when a plushie collided unexpectedly with someone’s face.

Minutes after a truce was called, the door to Freddy’s room began to slide open. Michael instantly jumped to his feet, ready to run to the back as he saw Charlie snatch Gregory up out of the corner of his eye. To his relief, it was the bear himself that slipped inside the room, now fresh and squeaky clean with his normal paws intact.

“Oh no… what happened?” Michael groaned softly as it seemed like part of their efforts last night were for nothing.

“I could ask you all the same question,” Freddy replied, looking around in disbelief. The half-empty pizza box was left open on the table, and the remnants of soda cans and snack wrappers were littered around it. Additionally, every soft object was scattered throughout the room—he even saw his prized throw pillow hooked on top of the star light that protruded from the ceiling.

Gregory had long gone limp in Charlie's hold, his arms in the way of completely sliding from her grip as she took the reins in explaining the state of things.

“Impromptu pillow fight. Gregory ate too much and he needed to work some of it off. Right, buddy?” the Puppet asked, bouncing him in her arms.

“—Don't shake me,” he groaned in response. “I'm gonna freaking pop.”

The bloat was still getting to the kid and Charlie let him down to move of his own accord, where he started to clean up the scattered garbage. She hoped that they hadn't gone routing around too much for answers in Freddy's coding. Although she knew better than to think the bear would rat them out at this point, there was still the paranoia that the human staff possibly knew more than was necessary.

“Well, I am sorry I missed the activity,” Freddy said with a small laugh, unable to be frustrated at the situation. They’d clearly been having fun and bonding, which is exactly what the bear hoped would happen when they got rare a moment alone together.

As Gregory busied himself with cleaning up, Freddy explained his trip to Parts & Service. He told them about the sad state of the other animatronics and the fact that Monty’s torso couldn’t be found. He relayed how he’d been cleaned and “reset,” though still kept in Safe Mode—and how he’d seen Vanessa sporting a sling and tired eyes, but otherwise back to herself again. Freddy finished up his speech by regaling the others of how Monty’s claws were replaced with his usual limbs and the suspicion now upon him.

“I believe everyone thinks that I decommissioned Monty,” the bear concluded, then blinked and tilted his head slightly. “…Which I suppose I did, but they think it was done maliciously so I could steal his claws. We must be wary of any other parts we upgrade, because if staff sees them I will be sent right back to Parts & Service.”

Michael groaned again, raking his a paw through his mane. “Great… just great. So much for that plan…”

Gregory seemed particularly frustrated at the situation. Not only did they have heat from administration on them now, but the upgrades he’d stolen for Freddy were taken, undoing his hard work. This anger was apparent in the way he cleaned, now just a little more aggressively than before.

“At least they won't fix Monty right away if they can't find him. That's one less crazy robot to deal with,” he grumbled, tossing a pillow up for Charlie to catch.

“Hey—” She snagged the pillow, only to gently lob it to the back of Michael's head. “—let's look at the bright side! We learned a lot from our first night here. Tonight, we'll be better equipped for dealing with everyone.” Charlie spoke with a more optimistic attitude attached, watching with satisfaction as the cushion met the back of her friend’s metallic skull.

Michael let out an offended noise as the pillow made contact, turning to glare at Charlie. There was no venom in the expression though; he knew she was just trying to cheer him up.

“No fair striking when someone’s guard is down!” the fox exclaimed, then pointed to the cushion high out of reach. “Help me get that, will you? I’ll lift you up.”

“Tonight will be much better than the last,” Freddy reassured, trying to manifest this into truth by saying it aloud. They could not have a repeat of all the terrifying things that went down the previous evening, for all their sakes.

As Gregory threw the final bit of trash away and crossed Freddy's path, the bear ran a hand through the boy’s hair. That was one good thing about Monty’s claws being replaced, at least—there was no chance of Freddy accidentally scratching anyone or anything with sharp appendages he wasn’t familiar with.

“We should make a plan for tonight,” Michael suggested, letting Charlie’s comparatively light body rest on his shoulders. “Or at least figure out what we need to do besides just ‘get rid of my psychotic father...’”

“I have an idea, but… I'm not sure you guys are gonna like it,” Charlie murmured cryptically. Just a little farther up, she had to really work to grasp the pillow from the edge of the light. When she couldn't get a hold, Charlie would bat it down and let it bonk against Freddy's head. “Oops—my bad, Freddy.” 

“What's your plan, Charlie?” Gregory asked with morbid curiosity, laughing as the pillow squeaked when it impacted with Freddy's little top hat.

There was a dark light in Puppet’s pinprick eyes. “Lure everyone but old man Afton outside at 6 and burn the place to the ground."

This place could rot for all she cared... Though, retrospectively, this didn’t solve the issue with Freddy's charging pod situation. He'd still be forced to shut down after sometime, as would all the others.

There was a beat of silence after this declaration. Michael was the one to break it as he slowly set Charlie back on solid ground.

“A few years ago, I’d tell you that was a fantastic plan,” he said, giving her an amiable pat on the back. “Unfortunately… I’ve been semi or wholly responsible for at least two fires that burned down an entire Fazbear building with my father inside, and look how that’s turned out. Somehow, the bastard ‘always comes back.’”

Michael said this last bit in an obnoxious, mocking tone to imitate the line he’d heard his father repeat at nauseam. Frankly, the whole situation was starting to get as old as his crusty dad.

“Additionally, as I stated last night I will not be able to stay active outside of the Pizzaplex for long.” Freddy had to point out the obvious, choosing to ignore Michael’s curse and arguably more concerning admission of committing arson on multiple occasions. “This goes for all other animatronics as well—even if we wrest them from William’s control, they will not survive long without the Pizzaplex’s charging capabilities.”

Once Charlie was set back down, she immediately felt herself tense as she caught Gregory's expression. Apparently, they’d completely forgotten to clue him in on the charging pod situation. With wide eyes, he looked between Freddy and Michael, fear and apprehension in his gaze.

“Freddy—” Charlie nodding her head sharply in Gregory's direction while the kid's gaze was momentarily diverted. She gave him a nudge with her elbow, watching as Gregory's face relaxed into one of defeated sadness.

There went Gregory's plans of stealing the Fazbear Entertainment's animatronics to be his new family... With his arms crossed, he glanced up to the bear, clearly trying not to wear his sudden disappointment on his sleeves yet unable to shake the pout on his face. “So all we can do is try to find this guy and kill him for good, right? More kids will just go missing if we don't...”

It seemed to be their only chance. The real question was how?

“Oh dear… I am sorry, superstar,” Freddy apologized, crouching down to pull Gregory into a hug. Despite the boy trying to be strong and act like the situation didn’t bother him, he folded into Freddy’s embrace rather quickly. “I did not mean to distress you. We are trying to think of a solution for how we can stay together, do not worry—I promised I would look after you no matter what, and I do not break my promises.”

That look of utter defeat on Gregory’s face had been short-lived but poignant. Michael knew it well—the dawning realization that your father might not be able to take care of you like he promised he could. He and Gregory had completely different circumstances to prompt this, but the sinking, hole in the chest feeling was the same.

“Charlie came up with a crazy idea that we might just be able to pull off with my amazing mechanical skills…” Michael grinned, making a show of pushing up a billowy sleeve to show off his nonexistent muscles. “And we’d also need your coding abilities—”

“That is not our top priority,” Freddy reminded gently before Michael could start spouting off about new robotic bodies. He didn’t want to get the boy’s hopes up for a scenario they’d barely worked out basic logistics for. “Gregory is right—we must focus on stopping William Afton first and foremost before he can hurt anymore innocents.”

While this was true, the prospect of solving the issue still intrigued Gregory. Even if it was false hope, he’d cling to it. Charlie watched his frown lift into a more neutral and relaxed expression, calmed as Freddy held onto him.

“I hope I could code well enough to help,” Gregory remarked, blunt but eager. “I promise I'll do whatever you guys need after we kick your Dad's ass—butt. Sorry, I-I meant butt.”

Gregory corrected himself, much to Charlie's hidden amusement. The kid was hanging around Michael too much, and it showed. Mike’s rebellious behavior was infectious. It probably even took root within Freddy in ways they didn't understand now. She supposed that’s what it meant to be such close friends with people.

“Well, your heart's in the right place, kiddo,” Charlie began, deciding to take a seat back on the couch, legs crossed as she gathered her thoughts. “I think the real issue is—will this be the last time we get rid of him? It's annoying to agree with anything he’s said, but he does always come back...”

“Oh, it's going to be.” Michael's reply was quick and left no room for argument. There was a hardness in his eyes that only came from decades of exhaustion from his father's constant resurgence. He gave a short, wry laugh, his gaze shifting to Charlie's. “Isn't the definition of insanity repeating the same thing over and over again and hoping to get different results? Well, William's clearly insane for multiple reasons, but I'm not going to fall into the same category as him by trying to get rid of him only for him to return for the hundredth time. This is going to be the end.”

Michael's impassioned speech left the room quiet for a moment. Freddy released Gregory and stood with a nod.

“I agree wholeheartedly. Regardless of whether we are able to leave the Pizzaplex, I cannot in good conscience do away with William without assuring that he is truly gone.”

Michael snorted at this, and to Freddy's questioning look he replied: “Sorry, sorry—I appreciate the enthusiasm. It's just... sometimes easy to forget you're a robot, Freddy—especially when you talk about having a conscience. It's weird, but not in a bad way.”

Michael would never get over the morality programmed into these machines. He really hoped he'd get to see the others in a non-infected state, although he had to admit that after what they'd already been through he wouldn't be too cut up about it if he never got to check out their inner workings.

“Yeah,” Charlie agreed, looking from Michael back towards the face of Fazbear Entertainment. “You're so aware.”

She was still slightly shaken from the strongly put musings Michael spouted forth, and silently went to work on figuring out a way to remove William from the picture. Leaning on a thin hand, Charlie watched as Gregory meandered towards the arcade machine... And then it hit her like a pile of bricks.

Why didn't she think of this before?

“Cassidy!” she shouted, abrupt and loud.

How could she forget her? The one who'd originally trapped William away in the first place would certainly have another idea of how to put him to rest for good.

“Cassidy?” Freddy questioned with a tilt of his head. “That name does not hold significance in my memory banks.”

“Of course it wouldn't—she was one of the original kids to go missing, way back when William started this whole thing. You're not going to have that kind of information in your database,” Mike explained, mirroring Freddy's head tilt as he looked at Charlie curiously. “Do you think she's still here, too?”

“If she's not here, I wonder if there's a way to find her,” Charlie mused. Though she never saw the girl upon waking up in the Pizzaplex, that didn’t mean she wasn’t hiding around in some dark corner. After all, she and Michael hadn’t remembered exactly how they got up top; after so much time wallowing in limbo, memories started to get a bit fuzzy. “I'm sure if she finds out the guy that stuffed her into an empty suit was wandering around, she'd gladly help us...”

“There's more ghosts?” Gregory asked, surprised at the amount of pissed-off dead kids that Michael's dad seemed to accumulate grudges with. He held back from cursing again, reeling from the fact that he might be meeting a fourth ghost not twenty-four hours after learning that they were just as real as everyone else.

“I am just as surprised as you are, superstar,” Freddy murmured, going to stand by the arcade cabinet and watch as Gregory refocused on his attempt at beating the high score. The bear's eyes might be on the lit up screen, but his ears were still tuned into Charlie and Michael's conversation.

How many children had William sacrificed for his twisted ideals? Freddy heard rumors of children going missing in the Pizzaplex, of course. One or two might be pushed under the rug, but nine was too much to keep out of even the animatronics' knowledge. All they were told was to keep an eye out for these specific kids registered in the guest book, but the how and why of their disappearances remained under wraps.

Freddy clenched his fists as he thought about this. Even now, the company still tried their best to appear like nothing was wrong.

“Don't you have some... I don't know, ghostly connection powers or something? Could you reach out and see where she is?” Michael asked Charlie, plopping down on the floor to face her. He shrugged with a soft laugh. “Sorry, I'm still comparatively new to this vengeful spirit thing.”

“I... have no idea, actually,” Charlie remarked. “I’ve never tried a remote connection before, but it's worth a shot! I wonder if this’ll work without a vessel to touch, though…”

Gregory had tuned in again, momentarily distracted to say: “If you guys are summoning ghosts, I'm staying turned around! I almost had a heart attack when I saw Michael.” Gregory huffed lightly when he overstepped on the side-scrolling platformer, losing a life and growing one step closer to failure.

“Alright, Gregory—if you really think little girls with overalls and pigtails are scary, you should definitely stay turned around,” Charlie teased, watching in amusement as his face darkened in a blush.

“Horrifying,” was all he could muster as he begun Level 3 all over again.

“Hey, I wasn't that ugly!” Michael exclaimed, scoffing in mock offense.

His looks were certainly a point of contention within his own self-confidence, especially at the time they were “frozen” in his ghostly form. He didn't have to use a mirror to know that his face matched far too closely with his father's for comfort. It was the whole reason so many animatronics had gone after him in the first place after all, and a huge factor in why he'd gotten scooped...

But Gregory didn't need to know that. If he learned that Mike had the true face of that psychotic rabbit with the hypodermic needle forever etched into Gregory's nightmares, Michael feared the boy would have a heart attack.

Charlie busted out laughing. Of course she didn't think he was ugly—it’d just been unfortunate that he inherited his murderous father’s face to a tee. Though Charlie liked to think that William simply copied his son, rather than it unintentionally being the other way around.

Curling around the fox once more, Charlie placed a gentle hand to Mike’s cheek, only to abruptly turn it away.

“Hush—your face is scary, Mike,” Charlie remarked in a deadpan, seeing Gregory's shoulders bounce with a silent laugh in the corner of her vision.

“No—” Gregory snorted, jumping past an obstacle in his game. “—just his head passing through solid freaking metal was creepy!”

Michael rolled his eyes, grinning as he gently shoved  Puppet's face away just as she'd done to him. He then shook his head with a dramatic sigh. “Consider yourselves lucky you don't have to get a load of Charlie here... now that's terrifying.”

This pulled a chuckle from everyone, even Charlie herself. Once the moment died down, Freddy quietly cleared his throat.

“As much as I would like to make progress immediately, we should wait for night shift,” he said. “Though the animatronics are docile for now, there are too many staff members walking around—I do not want to risk anyone seeing Gregory, or potentially another ghost.”

More time to rest and recharge before the inevitable harrowing night again?

Yeah—no one had an issue with that plan whatsoever.

***

The group stayed in Freddy's room for the remainder of dayshift, talking quietly about anything and everything while avoiding harsh topics when they could. They were enjoying the calm before the storm, needing to get in as much pleasant time with each other before the clock hit 12 am and their world devolved into frantic chaos yet again.

Too soon, that time arrived. An alert blinking across Freddy's vision signaled the official start of night shift. Cautiously, the bear peeked out of the curtains to find Rockstar Row empty yet again. He assumed the other animatronics were currently in their rooms, though surely they wouldn't stay there for long. Hearing no updates on Monty, Freddy could only presume the gator was still missing.

With a slight frown, Freddy turned back to the rest of the group. “Alright, the coast is clear. Charlie, you may go ahead and try whatever you would like.”

This was going to be interesting.

Gregory had long since made himself comfortable on the couch, arms crossed as he sunk far into the soft cushions and watched as Freddy made sure that no one decided to crash their séance. It would quite literally be the last thing they needed that night. Hopefully, they'd have the time to summon whoever Cassidy was. Though as Gregory turned his attention Charlie, he had a feeling she was already on the right track.

Becoming comfortable and sitting cross-legged on the ground, the Puppet appeared frozen. Quiet as she looked ahead, Charlie's sudden stillness caused the warmth to be sucked from the room. Tiny, silver pinprick eyes formed in the center of the mask’s empty sockets.

Charlie hadn't even spent that long concentrating on bringing Cassidy back, when suddenly two hands emerged to grasp Puppet’s shoulders from behind.

As a head of light, strawberry-blonde hair peaked out of the darkness, Gregory jumped slightly at the sight. The girl couldn't have been much older than him—when she died, that is. With an annoyed look on her face, she shook Charlie vehemently.

“It's about time!” Cassidy snipped, tongue catching against a pair of colorful braces as she spoke. The ghost glanced around the room with subdued interest, unimpressed and merely observing her surroundings. “This place is weird. Charlie, what took you so long?”

Charlie's eyes had returned to normal, surprised at how fast it was to summon the feisty spirit. “Uh—sorry, Cas! I didn’t realize you were waiting on me.”

“Oh my goodness...,” Freddy murmured from next to Gregory, instinctively placing a comforting hand on the boy's head.

The little ghost wasn't scary—far from it, in fact. The sight of her made Freddy's mechanical heart squeeze in a wave of sadness he hadn't thought possible. All of these children were so young...

“Holy shit,” Michael breathed, effectively pulling Freddy out of his reverie to glare at the fox.

Michael paid him absolutely no mind, completely focused on Cassidy's ghost. He was sitting on the couch too, although he was leaning so far forward it was a wonder the whole thing didn't tip over due to his weight. At the sight of Gregory's corner lifting slightly off the ground, Freddy clamped a hand down onto the back of the couch, using his counteracting strength to keep it in place.

“Whoops—sorry.” Michael flashed an apologetic smile, bright eyes still locked onto the tiny ghost near Puppet. He recognized her from the missing posters plastered all around town upon her disappearance, as well as the few times he'd seen her in the Pizzaplex. Ironically, most of their interactions happened after her death, the memories of which caused Michael to let out a stilted:

“Uh, heh... Hey, Cassidy. Long time no see? Ah, it's... Michael.” He pointed awkwardly to the fox face. “In here, I mean.”

Cassidy gave Mike a screwed-up frown, glancing him up and down before her eyes widened in realization. Pointing at the Glamrock fox, she stepped out from behind Charlie.

“It's the limey guy's son!” Cassidy exclaimed. The strangely aggressive reaction, on top of Michael's strong response to her made Gregory try unsuccessfully to hold in a few giggles.

“I didn't recognize you there—what with you wearing Foxy's skin and all,” Cassidy continued, hands placed firmly on her hips. She seemed not to hold any ill-will towards Mike. Scanning the room further, her eyes soon locked on Gregory, who seemed to be watching her with intrigue.

Her mouth dropped, and for a moment all the little ghost could do was stare. How this very alive, flesh-and-blood kid could bear such a striking resemblance to Cassidy’s old suitmate, she had absolutely no idea. The shock didn’t last long though, and soon her lip curled in a defensive scowl.

“What are you lookin' at?” Cassidy snarled with all the ire she could muster.

“N-Nothing! I mean no one! I mean—” Gregory was choking socially. Unable to make eye contact with the apparition, he settled for staring at her shoes instead of her face. Talking to other kids was hard regardless if they were dead or not, especially speaking to such a confident one. At least his dad was here...

“—I'm Gregory,” he managed to force out, causing Cassidy to roll her eyes.

“Uh huh,” she replied facetiously, unbothered and unaware—or uncaring—of Gregory's own inner meltdown.

“'Limey guy's son...'” Michael grumbled upon Cassidy's recognition, eyes narrowed in mild annoyance as he tracked her movements around the room. Her personality was a force to be reckoned with. There was a reason she'd been the angriest one besides Charlie; the one who led the charge against any night guard that dared try and intrude on their tormented afterlives.

Speaking of that—Mike realized too late that they hadn't thought to prepare Freddy nor Cassidy for their meeting. They should’ve split them up, brought Cassidy up to speed on the situation, and then introduced the bear. Freddy might be completely innocent regarding her past, but surely the girl wouldn't react well to any sort of Fazbear model, no matter how sleek.

It’d taken Michael a long time to figure out whose ghost was in which animatronic. Admittedly, he still struggled with some of William's later victims, if only because he hadn't had nearly as much interaction with them as he did with the original five. Cassidy inhabited Golden Freddy—Michael remembered that clear as day. She was the first victim he'd connected the dots with, although unintentionally. He realized that, to his complete horror, his brother's soul was also inside the animatronic that took his life... But there was another, stronger personality that far overshadowed Evan's soft-spoken demeanor.

Michael couldn't even count the number of times he'd cautiously tried to interact with Evan, only to be snapped at—literally and figuratively—by Cassidy instead.

Now, Mike could only watch as the strangely sentient Glamrock Freddy crouched down to be at eye level with the little ghost, holding out a paw for her to shake. His smile was open and sweet, eyes sparkling with genuine interest and compassion as he greeted her:

“Hello, Cassidy. I am sure you already know this, but I am Freddy. It is nice to meet you.”

The bear. The damned bear.

Cassidy had tried hard not to associate the image of Freddy Fazbear with hell or imprisonment. While she hadn't been in this bright, ursine-themed room for long, she assumed that because Charlie was calm around this uninhabited Freddy robot he’d been friendly enough. That didn’t stop Cassidy from giving the bear a scathing once-over, visually patting him down.

“Hi Freddy. I would shake your hand, but I'll be honest—the last time I touched one of you I got trapped in it for, like, 35 years,” she said with a rather polite nod of her head as she walked the floor, circling the Glamrock like a tiny shark.

“I think you guys found something that belongs to me,” Cassidy remarked in a somewhat calculated way. She glanced across the room, eyes flicking to Gregory as he decided to try to speak up again.

“Uh, what do you mean, exactly?” he asked, confused. He hadn't remembered finding anything that looked pre-owned or thrifted. Though Cassidy gave Gregory a sideways smirk, he didn't feel like she was exactly being friendly. Or maybe that was because the girl just intimidated him too much.

“Not a what—” She corrected herself as she trounced over and took a seat next to Gregory, propping her feet up on the star-shaped table. “—a who. I'd like William Afton's soul back. The asshole slipped out of hell while I was distracted, and me and the others aren't very happy, as you can imagine!”

“Join the club,” Michael commented, riding a wave of relief that Cassidy hadn't tried to dismantle Freddy on the spot. He peered around Gregory to look at the ghost. “That's exactly why we called you here—we need your help. William is at large in this place and we're trying to stop him. We figured, if you were around, you'd be more than willing to assist.”

Freddy decided to observe for the time being, slowly standing up and trying not to let his growing horror show outwardly. He knew the children had been bonded to animatronics, but the information hadn't quite sunk in until now. Not until the way Cassidy looked at him with fire in her eyes, as if she wanted nothing more than to rip him limb from limb and burn the pieces. Thankfully she'd resisted the urge, but her following words shocked Freddy into silence.

35 YEARS.

The bear couldn't imagine such a fate, being trapped inside a body that wasn't your own for so long. Not for the first time, he was thankful Michael hadn't unintentionally gotten stuck inside his head—for both of their sakes.

Gregory scooted away closer to the end of the couch. Fear wasn't quite the right word to describe the feeling when talking to Cassidy, but it was certainly irrational. She didn't seem to have an interest in hurting them—though she came across as if it was entirely possible for her to do it, in the way she walked and talked. How she directed her gaze and carried herself spoke of a confidence some people chased their whole lives.

“Can't have that turd floating around...,” she replied crassly to Michael, lazily turning her head to face him. Her voice dripped with attitude. “I've already got a plan. I'll need you guys to help, and I'll need you try and not mess it up.”

“We're all ears,” Michael replied, listening intently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Freddy place a hand on Gregory's back, reminding the boy of his presence and silently reassuring that things would be okay. Charlie by now had come to sit between Cas and Gregory, seeing that the boy obviously needed a buffer.

Mike was curious to know this plan the vengeful ghost had already cooked up, and he also had a very important question for her once they'd settled on the details.

She'd mentioned “the others,” and Michael needed to know who these souls belonged to. His hope that all the children were freed after the last fire had been dashed upon Cassidy's appearance in the room, and though he was grateful for her help, he still felt a gnawing sense of guilt about the whole thing. The deaths of William's victims weren't Michael's fault in the slightest, he knew that, but... it still felt like this whole thing was started by his actions way back in '83.

“I don't know how, but he left the game I made for him.” Cassidy sighed, looking up towards the ceiling as she gave context for her plan. “I thought it was so clever. Create a mind-bendy version of one of those stupid security offices, take William's wandering soul and shove it in there… Kill him over, and over, and over again.”

Cas recounted the ways they'd done it. Strangulation. Exsanguination. Bludgeoning. She was positive that she and Evan—mostly her—had personally springlocked William thousands of times before his escape. The methods didn't matter; what mattered was when someone found that rotted old golden Bonnie suit in the bowels of the burned-out fake diner. When they stole pieces from it, taking William’s soul away from Cassidy’s homebrewed prison.

At first, the spirits had been overjoyed to see him go—they thought it meant they could finally rest. Turns out, like everything else William was involved in, the whole thing was a big fat lie.

“I'll need him distracted. Weakened. Lure him into the basement and I'll have a surprise waiting just for him.”

How she already had something set up for William was unbelievable. It made Gregory skeptical, and he'd finally grown the confidence to speak his mind. “That's cool and all, but why should we trust you again?” 

Cassidy's hard glare relaxed some as she reached over and calmly socked Gregory in the arm. It caused him to yelp and rub the assaulted area, honestly shocked she could even touch him.  

“Look, Evan clone, you might not be totally aware of the shit that guy put me through. I would never help him. If you wanna live to still feel anything tomorrow, you better listen!” the ghost warned.

Gregory felt the need to suck up the pain dolled out to him. It was a reminder that he was still alive—and to Cassidy, that was a gift.

“Weakened and brought to the basement—we can do that,” Michael confirmed, choosing to ignore Cassidy’s physical assault on Gregory and get her to focus on someone else instead. Gregory was clearly uncomfortable being the center of Cas's attention, though Michael knew he’d be fine since his robotic dad was already fretting over the new blossoming bruise on his arm.

If anyone were to ask Freddy in that exact moment what was on his mind, he’d simply respond: “Too much.” Listening to this child describe so many ways to torture a soul and getting pleasure out of every one of them was not something Freddy expected to ever hear. He wouldn’t deny that William deserved it—even if he didn’t have the full picture of everything that man had done, he knew enough to agree the ghosts’ revenge was fully justified.

“Sorry for the billionth time that you got roped into this, Freddy,” Michael apologized, knowing the bear’s circuits must be on overload. Chancing his luck, he decided to pose another question to Cassidy. “So do we get to know what this ‘surprise’ is, or…?”

He wouldn’t be shocked if she wanted to keep this under wraps from them too, but he had to at least try.

Hopefully, by getting rid William Vanessa would eventually go back to normal. The news of Will having been loose in the world for that long made Charlie’s blood boil. She curled her hands in anger, distracted only when Cassidy bounced from her seat and threw her hands up.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise then, dummy! Buuut, I’ll give you a hint though—your families are gonna help me out,” she replied in a sing-song tone. “And I'll tell you one person that’s down there for sure. Henry finally decided to come out of his little saferoom when he realized Charlie was gone—”

Cassidy was interrupted, lifted quickly off the ground as Charlie picked her up and shook her before the ghost girl could react.

“My dad’s been here the whole time?!”

Without thinking, Charlie practically dropped Cassidy and made a mad dash for the door leading to the back storage rooms. The girl was desperate to find her own father now that she knew he’d lingered behind with the rest. The fact he was waiting for them made her soul ache just thinking about it.

“Charlie, wait!” Moving fast, Michael managed to grasp one spindly hand just as Charlie reached for the door. He tightened his grip as she fought against him, holding fast. “Wait. I want to see him too, but we can’t just run out there. There’s too many things that are trying to get us.”

Michael couldn’t believe he was actually being the voice of reason—usually he was the impulsive one, ready to sprint towards danger without regard for his own well-being. He wanted to see his family, too, if they'd decided to linger as well—wanted to scoop his siblings into his arms and apologize for everything that’s happened to them, for all they’ve suffered, all the years trapped and scared and alone… It hurt to imagine them so close yet so out of reach.

But they couldn’t go to them; not yet.

“We can’t leave Freddy and Gregory alone,” Michael pointed out softly, gesturing to them with his hook as he slowly pulled Charlie away from the door. “They need us, too, remember?”

Charlie was trembling, skinny endoskeleton rattling inside her soft, cotton-stuffed casing. It was clear that she wanted to throw responsibility to the wind for once in her afterlife, but her friend’s dutiful reminder—and physical hold—had anchored her.

She allowed Mike to slide her away from the door. The empathetic words he spoke helped the impulse leave her as she grasped onto his hand.

“I got carried away…,” she admitted. The rare lapse in decision-making left her sheepish and uneasy.

Gregory hadn’t ever seen Charlie so crazed before. She usually kept a calm face about everything. Maybe it was the way Cassidy had gotten everyone riled up, it had Charlie acting like… Well, a kid.

Technically she still was, in a way—an old kid. A dead kid.

Gregory felt uncomfortable while lost in that thought train, and even more so when he found Cassidy staring at him. To avoid her gaze, Gregory decided to stand and hide behind Freddy now. He didn’t care if Cassidy thought he was weird or too reliant on the robot. She hadn’t seemed that interested after all, her stare fixated at one point like she was really just lost in thought.

“I wouldn’t let each other out of your sights,” she warned, lazily walking about the room. “He already knows you’re here. Probably making plans to dismantle you all, make you dust for his immortality soup…”

“He wants Gregory,” Michael revealed bluntly, finally releasing Charlie’s hand once assured she’d calmed down enough not to bolt for the door again. There was no point hiding this from Cassidy—hell, maybe knowing his intentions would somehow aid her in capturing William faster once they got him to the basement. Mike glanced at Gregory, looking so small and fragile hiding behind Freddy’s leg.

“He’s convinced that Gregory is Evan reincarnated,” he went on bitterly, acid spewing from every word as his anger towards his father grew. “He tried to… to inject him with some glowing shit—I don’t know what it was, but he was ranting about it ‘strengthening Evan’s body’ or something. I just—”

Suddenly, orange eyes snapped to Cassidy, widening with realization.

“Oh… oh my god… The Remnant. That’s what his research said, something about…” Michael wracked his brain for every tiny detail, trying to piece things together. “He… gathered something called Remnant from the lost souls, and it… kept people from getting hurt. No, not hurt, but… killed.”

He felt sick to his stomach, vaguely wondering if he was about to throw up some random wires and internal parts—it wouldn’t be the first time in his life that happened. In a low voice, he concluded: “He’s trying to make Gregory immortal like him… like he wants to do with all his family.”

Cassidy waited patiently as Michael finally worked out all the morbid details for them. Things like that had stopped fazing Cas a while ago. The lengths William went to trying to unlock the key to his family’s tragic deaths, as if the lives of unfamiliar children were mere tokens one could exchange for a prize… He traded souls until he’d gotten his wish.

“That sparkly junk in the jars...?” Cassidy made sure they were talking about the same thing, scratching her scalp nearest her left pigtail. “Yeah—I’ve seen him use it on himself. It’s why he didn’t die when he locked himself in the rabbit.”

She rolled her eyes, letting them settle back to her suitmate’s lookalike. The news that Gregory was being mistaken for Evan had hatched another idea in her brain.

“Him?” she asked, now taking the time to gingerly approach Gregory. “Eh… The worst that Remnant stuff will do is make sure he doesn’t die. Pretty sure it’s made out of the culmination of our beings, plus our crushed hopes and dreams.”

Even just talking about that creepy junk had Gregory scared. He lashed out, hiding his fear with anger. “Shut up—that’s not really what it is! It’s probably just, like, poisonous or something!”

“Keep telling yourself that, clone-Evan,” Cassidy remarked, knowing the boy’s fear kept him from telling her to shut up a second time. “Don’t know why you wouldn’t want to believe me. I’m one of the only things in here that doesn’t want you to die…”

There was a heavy pause, before Cassidy flashed a wicked smile.

“Maybe you should just let that old creep stick him with the Remnant,” Cassidy suggested, turning to Michael as she jutted a thumb in the direction of their newest friend. “He’d survive longer, at least.”

“Stop this.”

The sound of Freddy’s sudden, commanding voice caused everyone to freeze in their tracks. The bear had been silent for so long listening in to their conversations, it was mildly shocking to hear him finally speak again. However, that was nothing compared to the look on his face—one of hard-set determination, underlain with a hint of… yes, there was definitely some fear deep in those electric-blue eyes.

It wasn’t fear for himself, though—it was fear for his new family and what might lie in store for them should William have his way.

“Gregory is not going to be injected with this so-called ‘Remnant’, he is not the reincarnation of Evan Afton, and he is not going to die!” Freddy ranted, pulling the boy in close to rest against his leg, one arm wrapped protectively around his shoulders. The bear looked around the room with narrowed eyes, as if daring anyone to challenge his conviction. He’d been trying to contain his mounting frustration at the situation, and the direct suggestion of letting his son fall victim to the man who destroyed so many lives was the final straw. “We are going to find William Afton and get rid of him and this virus he created for good—then all the souls like Cassidy can finally rest. Do I make myself clear?”

Despite the delivery, it was an uplifting claim. Freddy’s unquestionable tone caused Michael to nod in agreement.

“Loud and clear, Freddy. We’ve got this.” The fox’s flashed Gregory a grin that hid his anxiety as he thought how hard they’d need to work to make this next claim true. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Gregory, alright? You’re safe with us.”

Gregory was quick to hold fast to Freddy's arms. The words of strong-willed encouragement felt real enough to him. The determination set in Freddy’s voice brought a smile to his face after Cassidy speaking on his impending doom had begun to get him down again. It was like she had a grudge on him for simply being alive still.

“Yeah; I'm still here,” he said, trying to feel confident in himself and control of the situation at hand. “What's one more night?”

Their plan was simple enough. Whatever trap Cassidy had in waiting in the basement was cryptic though… and Gregory still wasn't entirely certain she could be trusted. But it didn't matter, as they’d run out of options besides relying on a snippy ghost girl.

Cassidy had gone quiet at Freddy's outburst. She was still a child at heart—and the sound of an adult's voice yelling still gave her flashbacks to her own father's laid-back temper, though the image of his face had been blurred with time. She crossed her arms and listened to Freddy rant, feeling a little bad for having poked the bear too much. He clearly deeply cared not only for Gregory, but all the lost children.

“...Okay. Give us a little time to prep, and then you bring the bastard down to the old diner. Michael? You know where it is. I'll see you guys then...” Cassidy spoke calmly, evenly. Then, she drifted downwards, passing through the floorboards and calling out to her comrades: “Smell ya's later...”

Gregory shuddered. How could one sad, little dead girl be so creepy?

Maybe all of them were like that. Gregory looked to Charlie for proof, though she was more lost in thought than the rest of the group.

Michael sat heavily on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees as he hung his head. He’d learned a lot of information in the past half hour, the most pressing fact to him being that Evan and Lizzie were in all likelihood still here.

Cassidy and Charlie staying to make sure William was put in his place? That was expected. Even Henry lingering around wasn’t completely surprising after the last stunt he tried to pull to get rid of his once dear friend.

But Michael’s siblings didn’t have a reason to stay—not one that he could think of, at least.

He wanted to see them, of course; the urge was so sharp and painful he was still shocked he’d managed to reign Charlie in instead of following her right out the door. But surely they were tired after all this time… There’s no way they’d stay just to have another conversation with their big brother. So caught up in decades of self-hatred, Michael refused to believe that.

“…Are you both alright?” Freddy asked softly, his voice now back to normal.

He felt bad for snapping earlier, though at least it hadn’t seemed to distress Cassidy too much. The last thing Freddy wanted was William and the vengeful ghosts coming after them… Letting Gregory cling to him, the bear looked between Charlie and Michael. He couldn’t even begin to fathom what emotional turmoil they must be going through right now.

Charlie quietly nodded, her demeanor far away and dreamy. Her dad had been here the entire time—she wasn't even aware that his spirit was still tethered to this place. Did he stay for her? For Sammy?

No. It was likely for William, she thought. Their strange cat and mouse obsession with one another was less fascinating and more something that deeply disturbed her.

“We'll see—let’s focus on dismantling William and making this place safe for children again,” Charlie said, dismissing her own feelings in lieu of how strong they were. Cassidy would've left far into the underground of the Pizzaplex by now, telling her friends both new and old, that she’d enlisted the help of a few certain ghosts.

The tides of this strenuous battle would shift. With hope, the ghosts would have retribution.

“Right… I have a suggestion,” Michael started hesitantly, sitting up straight as he met Freddy’s questioning gaze. “You’re not going to like it, Freddy, but it'll help us in the long run.” He took a deep unneeded breath before letting out the next words in a rush. “I think we should decommission the other animatronics. Roxy and Chica definitely, maybe Moon if he comes after us again… but the Glamrocks pose the biggest threat.”

There was a moment of tense silence before Freddy shook his head. “No, I… I cannot do that. Roxy and Chica do not deserve it… they are under William’s control—”

“So was Monty, and you told me that you watched him almost rip Gregory apart before your eyes.” Michael grimaced at the wide-eyed fear on Gregory’s face at the stark reminder of one of his near-deaths. Honestly, this kid must be part cat or something—he certainly seemed to have nine lives. Although with the way things were going, those were running out quickly.

“I’m sorry, Freddy, but… we have to do this,” Michael pushed on, looking at the bear imploringly. “I hate to say it, but William is smart. We’ve got to be even smarter to take him down—and eliminating as many other threats as possible before we confront him is a good start.”

Gregory found himself subconsciously clinging to Freddy just a little harder. He’d been riding on luck and the skills of his friends the entire night. If he wanted to survive, Gregory was going to have to get more resourceful and be smarter than an old, crazed scientist. Whether Gregory believed in himself was out of the question; he learned quickly that having confidence in what you did could only get you so far. Just as Michael felt their luck slipping, so too did Gregory.

“I'm sorry Freddy... I don't want to hurt them. But they'll hurt me if I'm not careful...,” he pointed out bluntly. Honestly, taking down the Glamrocks may even be the easiest part of tonight. Avoiding William until it was the right time to strike and bring him down to the basement was another task entirely.

Freddy glanced down at his adoptive son, so small and fragile compared to everyone else. He understood Michael’s point, but hearing Gregory spell it out while looking up at him with those big, brown eyes solidified his decision. This boy trusted Freddy to keep him safe, and if that meant temporarily taking down his robotic bandmates in favor of preserving a human life, so be it.

After all, isn’t that what this iteration of Freddy had been designed for—to keep children happy and safe? A swell of protectiveness from deep in the bear’s core said yes.

“…Alright,” Freddy agreed, squeezing Gregory gently. He offered a smile to show he was on board with the plan and harbored no ill-will towards those who’d suggested it. “I agree that this is the best path forward.”

He paused, not believing he was about to offer advice on decommissioning his friends. Eventually, he continued in a softer tone: “Chica will be easier to take down than Roxy—she does not have hunting instincts like the wolf.” 

“Right! She's just a chicken. We might not even have to hurt her!” Gregory agreed. Considering how ditzy the virus had made her act, it’d be a certain win on their part.

(Once again, Gregory took to underestimating his enemies. While Chica was a soft, sweet person by day, the destruction of Monty created turmoil inside her AI. William would use that to his advantage now.

No, chickens did not hunt like wolves. But once they tasted blood, the old instincts of a raptor came forth...)

Charlie nodded her head in agreement at the plan.

“We'll go for Chica first, then,” she said decidedly. “Might be best to lure her as well. We could use some of that pizza Gregory didn't finish yet!”

Charlie tried to sound uplifting, though it was becoming harder and harder as the creative burnout with her ideas turned into something tangible. She lifted up the pizza box, shaking it to make sure there were still a few slices left. Upon seeing Gregory pout, Charlie rolled her pinprick eyes. “That’s why you should’ve rationed them. Along with your snacks. After we get rid of Chica for the night, we'll make you a new pizza.”

“Good plan!” Michael agreed, quickly getting to his feet. Now that they had a way forward, he wanted to move. The faster they could get this over with, the better.

“If pizza does not work in luring her, there is an alternative,” Freddy chimed in, still in that quiet tone of numb detachment at betraying one of his closest friends. “The company recently created a slushee flavor called Monty’s Mystery Mix. For whatever reason, Chica cannot resist eating it when it is placed in her vicinity. Staff had to temporarily ban it until a solution is discovered… I believe they hid the excess in the food storage pantry of the bowling alley.”

“Huh… if the mystery mix is that powerful, maybe we should just use that instead?” Michael suggested. He flashed Gregory a grin, gesturing his hook towards the pizza box in Charlie’s hands. “Plus, then Gregory can eat his last slice—if you can stomach it after everything you ate earlier, that is.”

The heavenly slices of grease coated cheese that was a Fazbear pizza would always have room in Gregory's stomach. Without saying so much as a word, Gregory snatched the box from Charlie's hands and devoured the last slice.

“Gregory!” Charlie shouted before it devolved into laughter at the boy’s antics. “No, little man, you're going to get a tummy ache!” She warned him again, though it was ignored by Gregory needing elaboration on this particular slushee flavor.

“Is the mystery mix pizza-flavored, by any chance?” Gregory wondered out loud. The possibilities were endless. As he lapped the bright orange oil and crumbs from his lips, Gregory held Freddy's hand again. He was ready to go in search of this particular, highly sought-after slushee.

“It is—good guess, superstar!” Freddy replied, unable to stop himself from chuckling a bit as well. Thank goodness they could still find enjoyment in the little things…

Freddy spared a side-eyed glance at Michael, his smile softening. The man really was quite good with children. Freddy didn’t know the details of Mike’s relationship with his own siblings, but if his interactions with Gregory were any indication, Evan and Elizabeth were lucky to have such an attentive older brother.

“Who thought of a pizza-flavored slushee?!” Michael asked incredulously, then made an exaggerated gagging noise. “Those two things should never be combined…” He paused, then added in a quieter mutter: “…Not that wouldn’t try it if I could.”

Charlie looked to Mike and laughed openly at this. “I was going to say—I figured you'd try it at least once!”

She thought of Michael's thoughtful nature as a hard-won battle. There was a period of time where this kind personality slipped in the worst sort of way and led to disastrous consequences. But as he matured, Charlie had grown proud of her friend. He could’ve so easily turned out for the worst. In fact, it was one of her many fears after both Evan's and her own death.

Michael also just happened to be full of surprises. His determination to be better made him more attentive as a caretaker, it seemed.

“Okay, so—we'll each have a sip and the rest will be for Chica,” Gregory said as Charlie became lost in her thoughts, though he certainly hoped that there would be more of this Mystery Flavor slushee to go around. Y’know, on the off-chance this was the pinnacle of all slushees. He wanted to make sure they wouldn't starve the rest of the night.

No one had the heart to remind Gregory that he was the only one who could take partake without the sweet instantly damaging his internal systems… Well, not as much as the animatronics’, at least. The question of what was actually in those slushees to make them so addictive was questionable enough that it probably should warrant a doctor’s note before a kid could consume one.

It would be safe to assume that after this long week, Gregory's gastro tract would be forever ruined by all the sugar, greasy food, and soft drinks... Or at least ruined for a while. He was still young, after all. Nothing like a few months of vegetables wouldn't fix.

“Let us not waste any more time,” Freddy prompted, giving Gregory’s hand a squeeze as he started for the door. “Everyone keep your guard up—if you see anything suspicious, let the group know. We will still try to keep out of the others’ sight as much as possible.”

Michael simply nodded as he settled into place behind Freddy and Gregory, alert and ready for the night ahead. He shook out his arms and legs to get out whatever metallic stiffness had sunk in after a day of lounging around, then looked to Charlie with a set expression. “Ready for another go at this?”

“I've been ready since the 80's,” she said with finality. She didn't seem touchy, exactly. Perhaps sensitive, as the encounter with Cassidy had given her much to reflect on.

“Don't worry, Freddy. If we need it, Michael's still got the Faz-glock,” Gregory remarked, cheerful and nonchalant. The bear's eyes snapped accusingly to Mike.

“What in the world is a ‘Faz-glock?!’”

***

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Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

[riahlynn101]

"Counting Sheep, Counting Stars."

Trigger warnings: heavily implied child death, kidnapping, and all the other "fun" (please understand that as sarcasm) things that makes up FNAF lore.

Part 8 of the series: "Sticks and Stones."

--

The next day, Evan wakes up in his bed. Gregory is curled up next to him, Fredbear held close to his chest. The soft morning light streams in through the curtains. He turns his head to glance at his alarm clock. 

“6:30,” he murmurs to himself. 

Gregory stirs. “Huh?” He sits up, rubbing his eyes. “Ev’n?”

“Shhh….go back to sleep. It’s still early.”

And just like that, his brother is fast asleep. He chuckles, laying back down. It’s the weekend, so he should take the opportunity to sleep-in. But…..

….he can’t.

Evan looks up at the ceiling. The stars can’t glow right now due to the light, but they’re still so cool. Definitely worth the half hour lecture from their father about how they could chip the paint. He counts them, hoping it will be enough to lull him back to sleep. 

His brother once said he should count sheep if he wanted to go to sleep. Evan can’t imagine where he would find one sheep, let alone enough to count. 

Well, he thinks to himself, wriggling under the covers, the Wilsons have a farm off the interstate. But that’s miles from here, and then there’s the matter of-

His door opens a crack. 

“Hey, brat,” Michael whispers, poking his head into the room. “Are you up?”

Evan stares at him. The world must be ending for his big brother to be up before noon on a Saturday. 

“Come here.” He pushes the door all the way open. “We need to talk.”

“O-okay,” Evan whispers back.

Honestly, he has no idea why they’re whispering. Their family mostly consists of heavy sleepers. Mum and Lizzie could sleep through a tornado (and they have), and dad will happily ignore almost anything. But Michael wears the expression of someone that knows too much. Someone that needs to divulge a terrible secret, and what are little brothers for if not to keep their older siblings’ secrets (and to be the metaphorical and literal punching bag)?

He slides out of bed, making sure to retuck the blankets around Gregory. 

In the hallway, Michael grabs his arm. 

“Ow!” Evan complains. 

His brother turns back to glare at him, putting a finger to his lips. “Shush.”

He’s led down the stairs and out the backdoor. Michael lets go of him to shut the sliding door. 

“Where are we going?” Evan asks, rubbing his arm. “Are you okay? Should I get-”

Michael interrupts him. “I think father’s wrong.” He steps off the porch steps, and Evan follows him. 

They end up behind the large tree Evan likes to hide under during Gregory’s naptime. Michael leans against it.

“Well, I mean, father’s wrong about a lot of things. He did cheat on mum, and can be really scary when we don’t listen. And can’t help us with our homework, because he says it gives him a headache….” Evan trails off. “But that’s not what you mean, is it?”

“No,” his brother answers. “Recently, you’ve been so weird around father. Well, I suppose, weirder.”

Evan ignores the dig. “And?” 

“And, I think…I think I know why.”

A raven caws, circling the yard before landing on the picket fence with peeling white paint. Evan watches it, considering his brother’s words. 

“You,” he starts, “know about Susie?”

“There’s another one?” Michael asks, eyes wide. 

“What?” Evan stumbles closer to the tree, facing away from his brother. He suddenly feels nauseous. 

“I was referring to Charlie. I found a scrapbook in father’s workshop last night with article after article of her disappearance.” His brother puts a firm hand on his shoulder. “Susie? Isn’t that the girl whose parents came to our door?” 

Evan looks back, eyes growing wet. He nods. 

“Ev, what happened?”

He takes a shaky breath, craning his neck to look back at the house. With their rotten luck, father might decide today is the day he needs to mow the lawn at six in the morning. 

Michael, uncharacteristically patient, waits for him to talk. 

“You remember that day you found me on the porch crying?”

“Yeah?”

“And I told you that father took Gregory, so you went after him, and then, I eventually went after you?”

“Yes.”

“On my way there, I came across Susie crying.”

Evan’s chest feels tight. He wants to curl into a ball and cry. Telling Cassidy was one thing. She’s on the same footing as him. She’s a kid, and it’s unlikely she’ll be able to do anything beyond ruminate on how to find her best friend. 

But telling his brother is different. 

Michael is a big kid, almost a teenager. He’s strong and smart and can solve any of Evan’s issues with a wave of his hand. When he’s not picking on him, or completely and utterly ignoring him, he thinks Michael might be the best big brother he could have asked for. 

His bottom lip quivers, and he fidgets with the hem of his nightshirt. “And I told her I would walk her home, but I needed to go to the diner first.”

“And then?” 

“And then, we went to the diner.” 

His brother’s eyebrows are furrowed and he’s staring intently at Evan. 

Evan stares at the ground, tears sliding down his cheeks. “And…and…and I told her to clean up in the bathroom. And I found you guys, but I forgot about Susie. I just-just wanted to help her! But if I had just walked away from her, she’d still be here.” Evan chokes back a sob, biting his lips to keep from acting like a, “crybaby” as his sibling and classmates would say. 

Michael sighs, heavily. He kneels down and places his hands on Evan’s shoulders. 

“Evan, it’s going to be okay.”

And that, that sends him into hysterics. 

He’s pulled into his brother’s arms. The gesture foreign but not unwelcome. 

Michael places his chin on top of his head. “We’re going to figure this out. Father isn’t some shadowy monster that lurks underneath our beds. He’s only human.”

Evan nods, soaking up every little bit of comfort his brother’s providing. 

This very well might be a dream, he thinks. Counting the stars might have actually lulled him to sleep. 

So, he decides, hugging his brother just a little tighter, he should enjoy it while it lasts. 

[connectionterminated13]

We haven’t talked in a bit soooooo

Any new Elizabeth headcanons that you want to share?

Yes it has been a while. And I do have a couple.

Inferno au-

Liz cannot do ballet to save her life. Like she's extraordinarily bad at that.

Elizabeth used to try to take her toys apart and put them back together again the way her dad does with robots because she hoped that maybe he'd pay more attention to her if she did so.

Every Friday her and Michael would have movie night! Mike would make a big bowl of popcorn and they watched like soap opera movies And adventure films.

Elizabeth used to bake cookies with her mom on Sundays, For church. They used to sing together while they worked it was a lot of fun

Elizabeth tried to "run away" after Susie disappeared to go and find her, William stopped her, Saying that Susie would be back in like a week and that her disappearance was nothing to worry about.

Elizabeth after you're the missing kid's incident Started sitting on the far side of Freddy's as far away from chica as she could get. She doesn't like the way Chika looks at her. It makes her want to cry for some reason.

Elizabeth would never admit it but she was a little bit scared of Evan when he was alive. There was just something different about him she used to actually make fun of him a little bit for being "slow" And stirring off into space. She'd even join Michael in spooking him occasionally.

One of her first thoughts win stealing Michael skin as Ennard Is now she could kiss women!! Since now she was Michael she was technically a man so she didn't Need that plausible deniability thing her dad told her about. She ended up kissing no women though because turns out Mike didn't have a girlfriend sad :(

She went through and was going through in emo phase as scrap baby. Like she's listening to My Chemical Romance on repeand being like "it's just like me for real for real"

As scrap baby she hidden in alley drink a pride parade once

Elizabeth liked to sing and run around her room really really fast when she was bored or grounded.

Elizabeth was going to go to visit her family on her mom's side, The year her mom got sick and later died.

Death swap-

Elizabeth and Susie are semi open with their status as a couple. Like they hold hands and hug outside but they rarely if ever kiss. It's hard being lesbians in the 1990s in Utah....

Elizabeth is a little bit scared of ghosts after getting her organs ripped out by one. Like she tries to be brave but FNAF one is fucking scary for her. Doesn't help that she doesn't like working and hates doing sitting in a chair nothing work more than she hates normal working.

Susie Wants to have kids when they're older like 30-40, Elizabeth kind of does too but She doesn't think she could be a good mom and also gay marriage wasn't legalized yet let alone gay adoption.

Even though Mike Scares her a little bit after the whole scoop thing she still accepts him as her brother and eventually charlie's partner once they get there. Even though it is hard for her to look at him without Illusion disks or human suit on.

Elizabeth cannot do taxes this nearly leads to her death more than once drank fnaf 6.

Lizzie is terrified of the idea that 1 day Suzie will die and she won't. Sure Elizabeth loves her brother and Charlie and their other friends but life without Susie doesn't feel right at least the way she imagines it.

Elizabeth is the professional cool aunt to Michael and charlie's son Gregory. He thinks she's awesome :)

Lizzie and Millie au-

Liz will never admit it but she prefers to spend time with Jen As opposed to her own Step mom.

Liz isolated herself from like having real friends for a long time since she feared that if anyone got too close she'd hurt them the way Her dad hurts Henry.

Elizabeth tries to reason with any horrible monster things her parents have made before like getting rid of them since she genuinely believes that at least most of them don't want to be horrible murder Creatures.

She thinks no one knows that she's a lesbian everybody does.

She knows how to fence! You see William and Abigail put Her and Evan in a lot of extracurricular activities because they didn't want either of them around.

She can and will sit through a horror movie with a completely blank face. She's just not scared easily. For the majority of her life she's been surrounded by glimpses of monsters so movie ones don't really freak her out.

She has a distinct disdain for Evan's friend Andrew because he's annoying and evan start springing him around the house like often just to annoy her .

Elizabeth envies Millie a lot since she comes from a relatively normal home and Can Express herself more

I imagine that Elizabeth and Millie au, Is like a mystery of the book kind of thing. Like you know it's formatted like a book series of maybe 10 books and each 1 there's 1 big overworking spooky monster that they need to fight/figure out the weakness of. (Not really a head cannon just wanted to add that in here)

[williamapologist]

Incorrect quotes I'm posting because I cannot physically draw them all (Fnaf)

Gregory: I’m so glad you guys found me... Wait, how did you find me?

Monty: Well, you hadn’t done anything super annoying for like, five hours.

Chica: Yeah. That's how we knew something was wrong.

Gregory: Oh, that’s super insulting but dead on.

---

Freddy: Tell Gregory about the bees.

Sun: They're disappearing at an alarming rate.

---

Scott: How good am I with pets?

Scott: I went out with Vincent for years and he only bit me twice.

---

Vanessa: Sun keeps getting excited every time I scratch my head because he thinks it’s snowing but it’s just my dandruff.

---

Freddy: Just be yourself.

Monty: 'Be myself'? Freddy, I have one day to win Sun over. How long did it take before you guys started liking me?

Chica: Couple days.

Vanessa: Couple of weeks

Roxy: A few months.

Gregory: Jury’s still out.

Monty: See, Freddy?

Monty: 'Be myself'. What kind of garbage advice is that?

---

Jeremy: Bad News: Our boss locked the keys inside the building.

Jeremy: Good News: We didn’t have to wait around for a locksmith.

Jeremy: Bad News: My boss finds it very concerning that I know how to pick locks, and tried to unlock my Tragic Backstory™. I was too embarrassed to admit that the reason I learned was because, at thirteen, I figured that was the kind of skill that would impress cute boys.

Jeremy: Good News: A cute boy saw me do it.

Jeremy: Bad News: It was Michael, and since he’s already seen me fall out of several trees, cry because I saw a fawn that was just too damn small, and knows I can ride a unicycle, he’ll never think I’m cool no matter what I do. It’s too late. He knows.

[toad-archives]

okokokok fnaf spoilers for the endings because im impatient and wanted to know okay

SO ive been seeing people complain about the true ending (the only one animated like the rest of the game is) because of the lazy bringing back of springtrap, or how anticlimactic it is. HOWEVER i dont think the point of that ending is to bring back springtrap. i thoroughly believe that ending is to introduce the "amalgamation" (thats what i call it anyway) aka molten freddies face

^ that thing that takes springtrap into the flames for what i believe is the final time we will ever see him. *springtrap* is gone for good. (clarification not AFTON but springtrap itself. the physical spring suit is gone not afton)

the amalgamation is what i believe to be the next games main character (not a protagonist but not an antagonist yknow) with the souls of EVERYONE we've met throughout this series. I'm talking every child thats gone missing. every security guard (excluding vanny). Michael. Henry. Elizabeth. Charlie. everyone who William has every wronged, coming together to take whatever the FUCK glitchtrap is to his final resting place deep deep deep in the lowest circle of hell.

Michaels soul being prevalent, and since the amalgamation seems to be apart of the pizzaplex, i believe it connected itself to the charging stations (likely seeing glitchtrap/vanny doing the same) so Michael could influence Glamrock. Michael is totally in Glamrock somewhere. !! heres a really good post about Glammike also i think GlamHenry is cool but i think GlamMike makes more sense narratively. The amalgamation likely being headed by Henry, who'll tell us why the fuck hes still here like "i literally couldnt rest these kids kept waking me up to hunt this purple bastard"

I believe they'll return to the original location of frederick fazbears diner to take that fucker out at the source. We'll likely play as an older gregory going through the other locations that companies wont touch because of how haunted they are, how the rooms smell so badly of blood and gasoline. Glamrock might be there, like to translate the amalgamation. or the amalgamation will be like a silent guide, using its tendrils. Finding employees dead bodies instead of childrens.

On the topic of gregory, I think hes one of the androids that were in the books (like the main girl protag who was a sequence of androids to simulate aging) who you cannot tell apart from humans, and he'll probably figure it out by getting his arm ripped open to expose his robo parts (likely by the amalgamation)

The next game is absolutely going to tell us who "the one you shouldnt have killed" is. perhaps its elizabeth? did henry do something before he died to get all the other souls with him to take down william? to avenge charlie? are they the first victim of williams? is it michael? the crying child? that one android girl from the books (whos actually whats in the box)? is it gonna be some weird fuckery where gregory was actually the first victim?

In terms of jumpscares, i think theyll be other bunnytrap bitches like vanny. or if you piss off the amalgamation or something.

of course, security breach is still an early game and i think the ending they animated is going to be updated as it gets older, so im probably not right lmao.

[sofwrites]

fic writer interview

i was tagged by the ever lovely and talented @jake-amy 💖

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 15 separate ones, though I do typically put my one-shots under one work so it’s more accurately about 30! 

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

258,394 currently :-) 

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Three- Harry Potter, Princess Diaries, and Bridgerton

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

What Came Before Colin Realized: Multichapter work that spans from the incident to RMB. An accidental fix-it fic that turns Polin into a real slow burn. 

Bridgerton Stories: A collection of canon-compliant Bridgerton one-shots featuring different sets of couples, friendships, and family nonsense. A fun way to expand the Bridgerton universe. 

Welcome to the digital age, babe: Modern AU mixed media fic that spans Penelope and Colin interacting over an entire decade. Includes cringe early 2010s social media posts, a slew of birthday messages, some pretty hilarious puns and innuendos my amazing beta helped create, and a true slow burn. 

The best thing I never had: Also could be called, What If Colin Realized Too Late. A Colin POV one-shot of falling in love with Penelope after she’s fallen for someone else. 

21st Century Bridgertons: A collection of modern Bridgerton one-shots featuring various couples. Just another place for me to put little ideas in. 

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do! When I first started writing for Bridgerton, I was worried people would find it annoying if I replied to those that didn’t have questions/things to specifically reply to, so I was really hesitant. Now that I’m a bit more involved in the community, I don’t stress so much about it and try to reply to most comments! But I do wanna say that even when I don’t reply, I re-read and hold all of those comments close. 

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I think that “The best thing I never had” is the only angsty ending I’ve ever written, and it was definitely... angsty. I did, however, put multiple warnings for it so no one can fault me. 😅 

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

No, and I cannot imagine how people do it in complete honesty. ALL the power to those with big enough brains for that though. 

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Ooof yeah, I’ve gotten a few. I think it unfortunately stems from my place in the fandom and people thinking certain things are overrated. In complete honesty, it sucks a lot and holds more power than I’d like. 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

lol no, unless you count the lil fake-outs I sometimes include

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not! 

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but if anyone would want to, let me know! 

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven’t yet, but @jake-amy and I might write a Gregory/Lucy fic if we ever get our gears in order 🤓 

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

ok so I have a note on my Notes app that lists my favorite ships, so I’ll pick some of those (sorry I simply cannot pick an all-time): Mia/Michael (Princess Diaries), Katniss/Peeta, and Jonah/Amy (Superstore)! My favorite Bridgerton couples, however, are: Colin/Penelope, Francesca/Michael, and Gregory/Lucy

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I’ve had a modern Polin multichapter fic planned out since last May with about 5000 words written that I don’t think I will ever have the mental capacity to finish. I also have a Bridgerton high school au drafted that I hope I get to but can’t be sure. 

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think I do a good job expressing my character’s emotions through description/cues rather than just writing them out. It’s one of the comments I got most frequently on Digital Age, which was really cool since 95% of it was through texting/posts. 

I also think I do well in building anticipation in a scene. My favorite parts in movies/books are the lead up to things like a kiss, and I love writing them out as well. 

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I have a hard time finding a medium between “long-winded” and choppy writing, and I spend a lot of time focusing on how much extra content should be between each line of dialogue. I also really struggle with imagination and thinking up different scenarios/things for the characters to be doing. 

Also, proofreading. I get tired looking at the same words over and over again. 

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’ve only ever written a few bits here-or-there in other languages, but I’d rather not include anything I’m not fluent in or I don’t have a friend fluent in. I grew up speaking another language fluently, but I also didn’t have any formal education in it so I’d even be hesitant to write anything in that language. 

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

My first published work is an 80k marauders multi chapter fic that I never finished so... Harry Potter. 

19. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Oh god, I never know what to say to these because I think I mix up how much I liked a fic vs. how much others liked a fic. But I’ll do my best. 

WCBCR will always have a soft spot in my heart because it really connected me to Penelope and Colin as characters and helped me understand their relationship better. I think It was glorious was most enjoyable for me to write because it brought me back to early 2021 when I really was excited to write most of the time. I also really like An unexpected visitor, which is a bit of a random Anthony&Gareth one, but I like working through some of the more random pairings. 

tagging / saying hello to: @overripe-citrus-fruit @fact-fictionx​ @hallownight89​ @sirphillipcranestanaccount 💕or anyone who sees this and wants to give it a go! take some time and interview yourself ✍️